Speeches
by FantasyBeliever
Summary: It's the last night as Hogwarts students for the gang. Come and join the graduation ceremony as they remember their last fight with the Dark Lord.


**Disclaimer**: All "Harry Potter" related names are owned by J.K. Rowling. In other terms, anything you recognize, I don't own it. 

**A/N:** Just wanted to give my opinion on how it ends. Ron/Hermione! Also, I know that the whole graduation ceremony is so Muggle, but it's not like I have some insight on how Rowling's gonna do it, now do I? And I know that they might be a little off-character, but I did try the best that I can.

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Speeches 

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The nights wind softly blew around the grounds as lights from the full moon and floating candles shone above the students. Ronald Weasley never thought he would actually appreciate such little things like that. He looked to his right and saw his best friends, Hermione and Harry. He smiled, and happiness just filled his heart. For a time he never actually thought he would make it to this event. 

Ron listened intently to Albus Dumbledore's speech, or at least he tried to. His focus was at what he was holding in his right hand. He looked at her, and he knew his feelings for her are true. He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back, both securing each other that they were truly there, that they have lived.

After Dumbledore finished, Ron got up. He let go of Hermione's hand and stood behind the podium. He looked down and saw his speech magically appear. He looked up and saw a sea of familiar faces. Among those faces he saw his family, with their flaming-red hair hard to miss. He cleared his throat, and began.

"Today we are here for the graduation of Hogwarts class of 1997. If you have only figured out now that you're in the wrong event, please, quietly exit so that all of these wonderful could hear my speech. Ready?  Some of you, correction, _most_ if not all of you would've never pictured me here right now. Even a couple gave a fit when they found out that I'm Head Boy. But I believe I deserve this title. Sure, my first five years here haven't been the best, academically; but the past two years I have worked my hind off. Believe me, it's not easy. I'm not the smartest or the best in the school, but I tried my best and became my best..."

***

The night was unusually cold for spring. Gusts of ice-cold air made Ron's skin numb, which he preferred rather than the stinging pain of the cuts he had gained. He clutched his wand tightly in his right hand while holding Hermione's hand in his left. He hears her breath, short and shallow. It wasn't long until they screamed out his name again. 

_"Harry!" they both cried. "Harry!"_

_The Forbidden Forest was dark, the only light emanated from Ron's wand. "I can't see him," Hermione said nervously. "Where could he have gone?"_

_"We'll find him."_

_ Then he heard footsteps. "Shh," he said to her, "it might be an enemy." He pointed his wand to the direction of the sound only to find his best friend, Harry, out of breath. "You scared us mate. For a second there we thought you were…"_

_"Well, I'm not. Listen, did you get Dumbledore out to London?" Ron and Hermione nodded their heads. "Good, at least if we fail, Dumbledore will have time to escape."_

_"We won't fail, Harry," Hermione said confidently. "We will defeat Voldemort."_

_"Aw," said a voice, "you actually thought that you could defeat _me_?" The three looked and saw Voldemort._

_"We know we're going to defeat you," replied Hermione. She and the boys are backing up slowly, all thinking that maybe later they could make a run for it._

_"Brave little friend you've got there, Harry. Too bad both of them are not going to live long enough to see the sun shine again." Voldemort smiled evilly._

_Harry stopped moving. "No. Don't hurt them. It's me you want. My friends have nothing to do with this whole thing. Let them go, Voldemort, and you could face me, alone."_

_Voldemort and Harry started to circle, each staring into each other's eyes. Then Voldemort stopped, Hermione and Ron just to his right. "Now, that is a tempting offer," the Dark Lord looked at his opponents friends, then slowly focused on Harry again. "But I know nothing tears you up more than see one of your friends suffer."_

_He pointed the wand directly at Hermione who was a couple of feet away from Ron. "Crucio!" Voldemort shouted. Ron, within the second that the Dark Lord spoke the curse, dropped his wand and pushed Hermione to the ground._

_He too, fell to the ground. He fell to the ground in excruciating pain…_

***

"…and these, I believe, are the things that are truly important in life. These are only some things I've learned here in Hogwarts. And I'm happy that I did."

The audience clapped. The Weasley clan was the loudest, however. The four oldest boys screaming and whooping while Molly Weasley was crying herself an ocean. "Oh Arthur! Second Head Boy in the family. So proud…" she hugged her husband while blowing into a hankie. "So proud…so proud…"

~*~*~

So what did you guys think? I really need input so please review!!!!!!!!!!!


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